Weeping: A Fritillary Quilter Mystery FROM THE PUBLISHER
In the entire canon of tough-girl sleuths, gumshoes, PIs, detectives, and investigators there's no one quite like Fritillary Quilter. A New York arson investigator, a sassy, fresh spirit with a nose for arson and an eye for dubious burn patterns, "Tilly" pushes the envelope of the traditional female investigator with a young, hip outlook and indefatigable zeal. "Weeping" is an arson investigator's term, and also the usual state that befalls a fire's grief-stricken survivors. So it's with some surprise, and suspicion, that Tilly meets the seemingly unconcerned Faith Browning, whose sister Dorsey has just burned to death in their family home. When Faith puts in a quick claim without giving the insurance company a chance to look around, the company calls Tilly. Teamed with the arson pro Isaac "Ike" Blessing, Tilly and Ike must sift through the ashes to find the truth.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Edgar nominee Reuben (Julian Solo) launches a new mystery series featuring a young New York insurance claims investigator who will either charm or cloy, depending on how you feel about Nancy Drew. Fritillary "Tilly" Quilter and arson expert Isaac "Ike" Blessing, who happened to probe the fire Tilly accidentally started years before as a teenage babysitter, team up to look into a suspicious claim put in by Faith Browning after her sister Dorsey dies in an apartment blaze. The pair dutifully grill a conventional circle of suspects, including a spurned suitor and a married lover, with the veteran Ike taking much of the lead while Tilly focuses on reconstructing the victim's life. Details of Tilly's temporary jobs before she discovered her calling slow the narrative, while the step-by-step arson investigation proceeds a bit ploddingly. Despite the author's own expertise as a professional fire investigator, her efforts to share the fascination for the minutiae of her craft with the reader fall short. Little suspense surrounds the fire's origin, and the murderer's identity will be unsurprising to most. Tilly's crush on Ike and her na vete make her seem more like a star-struck teenager than an independent professional. Still, Tilly has an engaging voice that will appeal particularly to younger readers who care more about character than crime. (Mar. 1) FYI: Reuben is also the author of two mysteries, Origin and Cause (1994) and Spent Matches (1996), about arson investigator Wylie Nolan and attorney Max Bramble. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
In this articulate, intelligent, and simpatico first-person narrative, insurance claims investigator Fritillary "Tilly" Quilter shares a case with independent arson pro Ike Blessing-the person who originally inspired her interest in the cause of fires. The object of their scrutiny is an old Bronx Victorian damaged by a July Fourth blaze that resulted in a woman's death. The victim's sister files a suspect claim, bars officials from the property, and makes repairs before the claim has been resolved. Tilly and Ike's astute observations, coupled with wry humor, snappy repartee, and clever plotting, make this a winner. Reuben, author of the Edgar-nominated Julian Solo, is a real-life P.I. and arson investigator. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
A rookie arson investigator gets a chance to work with her idol in probing a suspicious fire that killed a promising young actress. Fritillary Quilter first becomes interested in fire when, as a teenage babysitter, she's accused of inadvertently setting a blaze and rumpled arson expert Ike Blessing gets her off the hook by proving her innocence. Impressed and grateful, Tilly follows in Ike's professional footsteps, though he's unaware of his impact on her and doesn't see her again for a decade. Meantime, she pays her professional dues in a series of cases, related in detail in a memoir-like first-person narrative, until she's reunited with Ike by abrasive spinster Faith Browning, who's suing everyone in sight after a fire in her family home kills her beautiful younger sister Dorsey, a fledgling actress. Almost immediately, Ike senses foul play, a suspicion confirmed when the autopsy report on Dorsey indicates she was already dead when the fire started. Falling easily into the role of apprentice to Ike's salty investigative veteran, Tilly also does the bulk of the legwork, which includes interviewing Dorsey's fellow cast members (she was playing Emily in a midtown production of Our Town at the time of her death) and college sorority sisters. Reuben (Spent Matches, 1996, etc.) writes unevenly, and there's scant mystery, but the tale catches fire whenever Ike and Tilly launch into one of their animated discussions of forensic evidence. Agent: Jennifer Unter/RLR Associates
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